Jim Gamble

Good Info Nigel. In cleaning Parking Garages for the past 21 years, we also have found that 0 degree nozzles work best. http://garagecleaning.net/Comparison.aspx Jim Gamble Crystal Cleaning Company LLC San Francisco Bay Area www.GarageCleaning.Net 510-612-0437

Does Networking really help at 11:00 PM on a Saturday Night? Last night at around 8 pm, one of our specialty Kubota diesel machines fuel filter got clogged. So I called the local auto parts store for a replacement. They did not have the correct fuel filter canister. This performance fuel filter was just over 1/2 quart. This fuel filter was bigger than the oil filter. We tried everything we could think of. I new where to get the part on Monday, but this would not help me tonight. Tonight is when I need it. I was cleaning a time sensitive garage that needed to be finished by early Monday morning before 5 am. So I called all the parts stores... Nothing. Then I started to call my business contacts and they started to call their's. I get a call back at 10 pm. Jim, I found one, but you need to meet him at his house. The problem is it's just over an hour away from you and he will be going to bed at 11:00, so you got to hurry. As I am speeding at 80 mph in a 65 zone in a down pour, I was just thinking of the networking that went on to get this unique part. How all of my fellow business associates who have day jobs from 8 to 5 weekdays came together, some while having dining with their love ones, others while out on the town. They were all eager to help me, not asking for anything in return. Some using their influence to get the part that I needed tonight. Thats what networking is about ! Jim Gamble Crystal Cleaning Company LLC Antioch, California 94509 www.GarageCleaning.Net 510-612-0437 Parking Garage Cleaning Experts going the extra mile

Thanks Nigel. This was our 5th article in the national spotlight for the last 15 months. We enjoy not only writing them, but also the ones that were written about us. If some on the BBS would like to be on our list for Approved Garage Cleaners in other states, Please call me. We do get garages that are out of our area and I will consider all who would like to be apart of this wonderful field.

Thanks Douglas. Though we have voice our concerns at times, I always respected your thoughts and expertise. Again....Thanks

Thanks guys.

First... Make some money... As some know, a few weeks ago was the time to hit those Commercial and Industrial businesses to see where they are in terms of their budget .... to approach your clients for that extra bit of cash that they may have left in their budget. You see, most corporations may still have monies in their accounts that must be spent before the years out. These managers will have those monies deducted from their accounts for the next physical year if it is not spent, so they have to get rid of this overages before the years out. In other words, they don't spend it, they lose it. If they had 200 k in the account as of Dec 31st 2010, that money will not be carried over to 2011. They also may have the 200k deducted from their total allowance for the following year budget in 2011 since it is apparent that they did not need all of that extra cash in 2010. I have been on these boards for a few years now and I have yet to of seen anyone who works with commercial PM or Industrial clientele ( Including me) to mention this easy approach to make some real money. This has been a well kept secret for some contractors. Am I going to hear about this or be attacked on the BBS for this... oh ya, but my goal here is to help those who need it most. To put food on their tables by giving those in need real helpful information on how to make good money for the holidays. You will find that most Commercial and Industrial accounts, NOT ALL, will have as much as 200+K in their accounts to spend on a legit expense to clean, repair or improve their facilities by the middle of Dec 2010. This is not a hard sale to make, though it is a HIT and MISS situation. Cities, Counties and State Gov are usually in June since their budget starts on July 1st) When you do find someone who has excess amount in their budget and If you can prove that they need your service, you will find them more than willing to pay you a fair price as long as you can invoice them by the middle of Dec. ( Some deadlines are Dec 10- Dec 24). The bigger the facility, the earlier the deadline. Now here is the beauty of this, time is in your favor and they rarely go out to bid. They simply do not have the time to go through the bidding process. If your price appears to be fair, and you do not give them reason to distrust you, you will find that client signing an agreement and speeding your payment through ASAP. If you need more info, just call any pressure washing company that deals with multiple large commercial accounts on the BBS and I am sure they will guide you through this process. There is a correct way to do this, and I urge some members to help others who are less fortunate to achieve this goal.

Larry, It is sad to see you go. You gave so much to the industry. I enjoyed our talks over the years. You may not remember, but I picked your brain about our first design of our Pressure Washing rig back in 2000. In 1988/89 I had a Delco D6300. GREAT machine. We have talked about that machine over the years. You are very knowledgeable and a great resource to the industry. The industry as a whole will miss you. Jim Gamble 510-612-0437

So many times we have issues about a wire shorting out, or a battery going dead on the job. Clutter of wires, hoses on the deck of the trailer all getting weatherized. Here is one mans effort to make those problems a thing of the past.... <object width="1280" height="745"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvH3xY9m--c?fs=1&hl=en_US&hd=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvH3xY9m--c?fs=1&hl=en_US&hd=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="1280" height="745"></embed></object>

<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvH3xY9m--c?fs=1&hl=en_US&hd=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvH3xY9m--c?fs=1&hl=en_US&hd=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object> Testing to see if this will work

We have other information on trailer designs. As many know, we have been designing trailers since 1989. Our trailers are over built yes, but some of these ideas can be modified for most Trailers.

Well, That did not work, however it did work over at PWN... http://www.powerwashnetwork.com/product-equipment-reviews/11278-electrical-dual-batteries-whats-up.html#post68711

Seems like more and more states are following California ! Welcome to my world..... Welcome to California !!!

Here in California, if you are applying product for example paint, stain and the work and materials is over $800...up from $500 a few years ago, then you need a permit. Been that way since I started back in 1989. Pressure washing, cleaning, is exempt because you are not washing the surface for the purpose of applying a product. You are cleaning. However in a residential market, I am not sure if this applies since we only do Industrial Pressure Washing.

Sorry to hear that. I did misunderstood you about the yard. Maybe you should look into the cameras I talked about with the night vision. I have ours tide into the network so that we can see both of our warehouse's, one in N. Sacramento and the other we share in Vernalis 24/7. One thing about California, when I had a winch stolen, I requested finger prints and they did them because it was over $500. I guess there is allot that people say about California, however at least I got them to finger print the trailer and they caught the guy 2 months later. Again, Sorry to hear that this happened to you Scott. I know you and I have had our differences, but I do not like to hear about this happening to anyone. Hope they catch the guy before you do !

Have the Police check for finger prints. Maybe you will get lucky and get a hit in their data base. Was the unit bolted down in anyway? You may have multiple claims for your insurance's. If you have Business Auto Insurance, and a clause for equipment, you should get all of your money back. If not, then depending if your insurance on you home covers product, you can get some there as well. If you take out a separate insurance on the equipment, it's not that expensive on a $4,000 dollar unit. Depending on which insurance you have, you should be fine. it is just a pain to go through it. Again, Check you Home (Since it happened in you back yard. Most Home owners insurance covers up to $1,000 to $5,000 of property), Business Auto should cover most of it, and if you got the optional equipment insurance, then you should be alright with 80% coverage or more. I would also suggest to get cameras. We have night vision cameras all throughout our outside of the home. Even though we live in a well to do neighborhood, we still have them. They are wireless and all my neighbors can tune into the cameras if we are away. They also record off site to a network. In our warehouse, we also have motion senors, heat sensors as well. The point here is you can never be to cautious when it comes to protecting your property and you livelihood.

Happy Birthday !!!!

Though the Cat pump listed is designed to handle 3400 RPM's, which is what most engines run at, ( 3450 RPMS for the bigger ones ) there is one point that Russ makes in his thread, though maybe unclear. When a choice of a pump or any mechanical item has a higher RPM VS a Lower RPM....The lower one is preferred. Reason is less revolutions means less wear. Another thought when buying a pump is to see about the shaft. Some pumps are 24 mil. thick, while others are 30 mil and I thought I have seen them as thick as 35 mil. This is a good indication on the manufactures design for longevity. Our pumps are 30 mil thick. We have had our pumps last for over 15 years without a rebuild, however my sub has to rebuild his every couple of years until he replaces it. His pumps very from manufactures, but the one thing that is constant is the 24 mil shaft. http://www.pressurewashersdirect.com/manuals/catpump66dxmanual.pdf

As far as the tank, the bigger trailer would be just over 65 minutes of reserve water. This would be an issue if you need to go to multiple small jobs without any issues about filling up and or if the water supply is of low volume and pressure. If water is ALWAYS going to be available for your line of pressure washing, then it does not make any difference. The one thing you should always consider is the axles. If you have to small of GVW of axles, then you can bow them and cause serious tire wear issues on your trailer. Another issue is if you come close to the max weight of the trailer, you hit a good size pot hole at 50+ mph, you could snap the wheel off, that is, crack / sever the axle right behind the wheel. I have seen it more than once. The trailer was at 92% capacity and the guy hit the pot hole and the wheel, still bolted to the hub with brake drum, broke away from the trailer, brake and all. The reason is a trailer is rated in a gentle downward motion, not a side impack. Also hitting something at 50+ mph has allot of impact force behind it. ALWAY check you GVW and the max weight to be installed on the trailer at any giving time. Weigh the water at just over 8.25 lbs for ever gallon of water. Get how much diesel, gasoline will be on the trailer. Find out the weight of the trailer from the manufacture. Add those things up..... Take 80% of the rated gross vehicle rate, take that number, subtract the weight of the trailer, equipment and the max capacity of all of the liquids. As long as you are under the GVW by 20%, you will have a trailer that will be good to you and will last a life time.

It was a simple poll. I thought it would be good to see who was in the Pressure Washing field from 2001 to 2010 working continuously. Once again the same few have read into something that is not there. If I wanted to pick on Scott, I would of made the poll from 1994 ish to present. If I wanted to pick on Russ, I would of made the poll from 2004 to present. Actually I was going to post up to the last fifteen years. But I did not want to exclude so many good people. It was a simple poll. Read into it whatever you feel, but it was just a general poll to see who was working contiguously from those years. I just did not think that making the poll every 4 years or so was such a big deal. We are going on 22 years, but I only made it to 20. I will take the sensitivity here under advisement and try to do better. I think those who did work during that time should be recognized and congratulated for their hard work. If you worked longer than that, they should be noted as well. But these times was the hardest for most. For Example:Your bus is a few years old. You are most likely investing in new equipment by then,maybe buying a home, having a family thinking you've made it and pow a full recession. Your accounts going bankrupt year after year, but you still have a business today and paying your bills the best way you can. Frankly, this sounds to me, as those who do not meet this poll statements, is having the most issues. Life is to short. No one is saying if you only worked 5 years or even 1 year that you have no experience or smarts. I respect you Tony. Shoot, I do not even know how long you have been in the pressure washing field. I think you told me but I forgot. Everybody relax. There is no attack here. No insults. Just wanting to recognize who are the ones that have started in 2001. I actually am curious who started in 1992 or earlier. About the time when I had to buy our filtration unit to meet Cal EPA requirements for discharge in the Parking Garage Cleaning Field. I would love to swap stories of that period in the pressure washing field. If these guys/ gals whom I have seen on these old past threads are still around on the boards, where are they now? If they are not retired or in another industry, then "What field are they in now", This was going to be my next question. Just Breathe.

Beth, I have from under 6 years to 20+ years. So I am confused.

This poll is also to show respect and to honor for those companies who stuck it out and made the right choices during the recession. I think everyone would agree, these companies should be recognized.

Thats why I only went to 2001. I figured those that are new to our industry would qualify in this time frame from the recent 9 years. Those who are old timers such as Ron, would also be included because they also was full time in those recent years as well.

I thought there would be more people with multiple years of continuous full time experience. If I knew that was not the case, I would of changed the post to include others. My mistake.

Good Point.

Thanks Jim. Sorry I was not able to get down there this week. Glad to hear you are doing well. Jim Gamble www.GarageCleaning.net